EU lawmakers push for Microsoft alternative to boost tech sovereignty

Redazione RHC:26 November 2025 13:19

A group of members of the European Parliament have called for Microsoft to abandon its internal use of products and switch to European solutions.

Their initiative stems from growing concerns about the dependence of key infrastructure on large American companies and the potential risks to the EU’s digital security. The authors of the appeal believe that European institutions must set an example of technological independence and lead the transition to their own platforms.

The document, which will be delivered to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, lists 38 signatories from various political groups. They insist on the need to phase out not only Microsoft software, but also hardware from Dell, HP, and LG , used in the Institute’s IT systems.

They believe that Parliament has sufficient resources to become the driving force behind a broader initiative to strengthen technological sovereignty. The authors of the letter emphasize that , in a context of geopolitical turbulence, technology companies can become instruments of external pressure, while a significant share of budget expenditures continues to be allocated to foreign suppliers.

The petition lists European services that, according to parliamentarians, can replace the solutions currently in use. These include the Norwegian browser Vivaldi, the French search engine Qwant, the Swiss email service Proton, and the German collaboration platform Nextcloud .

The signatories emphasize that one of the medium-term steps should be a complete cessation of use of Microsoft products, including the Windows operating system . In support of their position, they cite the International Criminal Court, which recently banned the company’s services due to concerns about US sanctions.

The letter is signed by representatives of different currents: Aura Salla and Mikka Aaltola of the centre-right EPP group, Birgit Sippel and Raphaël Glucksmann of the Social Democrats, Stéphanie Jon-Curten and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of Renew Europe , Alexandra Giese and Kim van Sparrentak of the Greens, and Leila Schaibi and Merja Kyllonen of The Left .

The authors of the letter propose creating a working group composed of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to organize and supervise the transition to European technologies.

The appeal also draws a parallel with the European Parliament’s vehicle fleet, which is almost entirely made up of European brands. The signatories believe this approach could also be extended to IT equipment. They are confident that, with sufficient political will, the institution will be able to achieve independence from foreign technology by the end of its current mandate.

The initiative was coordinated by Austrian centrist MEP Helmut Brandstätter . He notes that the European Parliament’s infrastructure currently relies on foreign software, which could theoretically be disabled, monitored, or used for political purposes. He argues that this is not a matter of hostility toward the United States, but rather the need to strengthen European sovereignty.

Microsoft responded by saying that it offers the broadest range of solutions focused on providing digital control and data management capabilities within European organizations and that it intends to continue working to expand these services.

It’s worth noting that many of Microsoft’s technology suspension efforts stemmed from news events that emerged when the company blocked access to certain Azure services for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, following revelations that these infrastructures were being used for mass surveillance operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

The decision followed an article in The Guardian , which accused Unit 8200 of exploiting Microsoft technology to process and store millions of phone calls per hour, prompting Brad Smith to issue a public statement clarifying the company’s position.